News for Western Oregon's BLM Lands

In April of 2016, the BLM released it's newest proposed resource management plan for Western Oregon. This list of current up-to-date articles and news releases is curated by the Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center in Southern Oregon to help bring the most up-to-date information about the resource management plan into one place.

Breathtaking vistas honey-combed with slotted canyons and boulder-strewn rivers and streams occupy much of Oregon and the western states, along with huge stands of forest and snow-topped mountains. It’s a

I’ve had a few near-death experiences in my life. One was near the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Let’s just say I was “Extreme Horseback Riding” with a friend. I might not have been paying as close attention as I should have because the horse decided to quickly gallop up a steep hill right under a massive oak tree. It was the massive branch on the massive tree that got me. What happened next wasn’t pretty. Perhaps my boots were too big for the

After two years of tireless effort and thousands of volunteer hours invested by residents in the Applegate Valley, the Bureau of Land Management's Medford district chose to implement Alternative 4 in the recent Decision Record for the Nedsbar timber sale.Alternative 4 is the preferred alternative of the timber industry and is highly controversial in the Applegate due to its likely impacts on the local ecology, quality of life and recreation economy. Medford BLM also rejected the Community

The controversial Nedsbar timber sale went unsold today at an auction following a protest by opponents, threats of tree-spiking and promises of civil disobedience against whoever bought the trees for logging.No bids were entered for the first Nedsbar sale at the Bureau of Land Management auction, held at the agency's Medford office late this morning after about 75 protesters railed against the sale they believe would over-log sensitive areas in the Applegate watershed.But that doesn't kill the

APPLEGATE — Some Applegate Valley activists are vowing to appeal a new multi-unit timber sale and fire-reduction project proposed by the Bureau of Land Management, saying the BLM "gave the finger" to residents trying to collaborate with the agency on the project.The group Applegate Neighborhood Network is at odds with the BLM's Nedsbar Forest Management Project, which includes logging on O&C lands, after the agency rejected the group's community-generated alternative.The

Monica Bond has spent the past 15 years studying spotted owls and forest fire. This week, Bond published an article summarizing existing science about what happens to spotted owls when forests burn, in the hope of averting ...

Late Friday afternoon, Aug. 5, the Bureau of Land Management announced a Record of Decision for their Resource Management Plan, adopting their Final Environmental Impact Statement.Late Friday announcements are great media timing when you don’t want the issue to get much attention. But by the time the weekend was over a great number of Oregonians were preparing for battle. In fact, the American Forest Resource Council, a timber industry group, and Earth Justice, an environmental group,

"A forest is much more than what you see," says ecologist Suzanne Simard. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery -- trees talk, often and over vast distances. Learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires in Section 7 that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) when land use planning to ensure the Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) does not jeopardize the recovery of threatened and endangered species or adversely modify their critical habitats. The FWS and NMFS, collectively referred to as "the Services," participated in early coordination with the BLM to increase cooperation and avoid a potential jeopardy or adverse modification determination.

Born and raised in Cres­well, I grew up reading The Register-Guard. Based on the newspaper’s June 12, 2016, editorial, “Congress must act on O&C lands,” I misread the date as 1986. Both the paper’s news coverage and its editorial opinions in the 1970s and ’80s were unquestionably supportive of liquidating old-growth forests.

As a resident of Brookings for four decades and as a longtime fishing guide, I have seen a thrilling rise in fishing, recreation and tourism businesses. The South Coast region’s travel economy generated $388 million in 2015, supporting 5,000 jobs and representing 1.4 million trips to the area. I join many Oregonians who are thankful for the spectacular rivers that contribute so much to our livelihoods and our high quality of life.

The latest federal plan for a swath of Oregon forestland that's seen big fights over animal habitats includes more logging, more protection for sensitive species such as the Northern spotted owl and more opportunities for hikers and bicyclists.

SALEM — Conservation and fishing groups and an Indian tribe announced Monday they have filed protests against a draft federal proposal to manage 2.5 million acres of land in western Oregon — a plan that would allow logging to increase by more than a third and for trees to be felled closer to streams.

The Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center is an advocate for the forests, wildlife and waters of the Klamath and Rogue River Basins of southwest Oregon and northwest California. We use environmental law, science, collaboration, education and grassroots organizing to defend healthy ecosystems and help build sustainable communities.

Formed in 1997, KS Wild fights for protection and restoration of the incomparable ecological riches of southwest Oregon and northwest California. We monitor public lands in the Rogue River-Siskiyou, Klamath, Six Rivers and Shasta-Trinity National Forests, and the Medford and Coos Bay Districts of the Bureau of Land Management.